Pacific Coast Road Trip... Need suggestions!

[FlightMedic303]

So I am trying to plan a 10-14 day road trip from SoCal all the way up to Vancouver for this coming Spring/early Summer. I would love recommendations from anyone who lives out on the West Coast or people who have done a road trip out that way. I plan to do a mix of camping and hotels...

Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Vinsil]

Did this last year but didn't go all the way into Washington.

Some highlights for us with my three boys.

Stay in the Redwoods. Spend at least two days there hiking the trails, we only did a full day and night and regret that part. So much to see and experience.

On the Oregon coast.....make sure to hit up my favorite towns on your way through.

Newport is awesome. If you like beer, Rogue Brewery is there and a great tasting room and restaurant. My favorite is double dead guy, if your a strong IPA fan. Rent some crab rings, get a day pass and crab off the docks. If you want and if we coordinate I can meet you there with my boat and catch crabs in the bay. Nothing beats fresh crab.

See the aquarium and walk the beaches.

Love Lincoln City as well. If you gamble they have a casino.

If you want to off-road some in the dunes, Florence is my favorite but also Coos Bay and Winchester Bay have dune access. Get a off-road tag and flag if you do.


Astoria is another must see in my opinion. The coast guard trains there and the goonie house is there, lots of history through the coast.

Tillamook has the cheese factory which is pretty cool, get some squeaky cheese and ice cream!


Good luck and sounds like a fun trip I'd repeat it again.

 

[4Rager]

I live in Reno and in my biased opinion, you should come up 395 through the Eastern Sierras. There's gorgeous scenery the whole way and lots to do on the way up. Then you can take 395 all the way up to Oregon and either head to the coast or up I-5. If you've never been to Lake Tahoe (or even if you have) it's beautiful and there's so much to do whether it's wheeling, going to the beach, getting a good beer, etc.

 

[Vinsil]

I live in Reno and in my biased opinion, you should come up 395 through the Eastern Sierras. There's gorgeous scenery the whole way and lots to do on the way up. Then you can take 395 all the way up to Oregon and either head to the coast or up I-5. If you've never been to Lake Tahoe (or even if you have) it's beautiful and there's so much to do whether it's wheeling, going to the beach, getting a good beer, etc.

Greta idea, we spent a week in Tahoe and never got bored! You will notice I didn't mention anything in CA below the Redwoods.

I wasn't impressed even though 101 was kind of neat, I would take the above advice as I would start at the Redwoods and go north again!

 

[Tailsonthetrail]

I live in Reno and in my biased opinion, you should come up 395 through the Eastern Sierras. There's gorgeous scenery the whole way and lots to do on the way up. Then you can take 395 all the way up to Oregon and either head to the coast or up I-5. If you've never been to Lake Tahoe (or even if you have) it's beautiful and there's so much to do whether it's wheeling, going to the beach, getting a good beer, etc.

Take the 395 route! Here is a link to some good stops etc.
Highway 395 Roadtrip Stops: Hikes, Food, Fossils & Lakes | California Through My Lens

 

[wcjeep]

Seattle is a 2hr drive from Vancouver. Seattle underground tour. Seattle EMP museum . Pacific Science Center if you have kids.

Ape Caves (lavatubes) near Mt St Helens. Mt St Helens observatory.

Crater Lake.

 

[Seattle206]

Definitely hit up the Ape Caves in Oregon and Shi Shi Beach on the WA coast. Also the Olympic National Forest, then up to Neah Bay and the scenic 101 route as you make your way to Seattle. Might be worth a shot to take a ferry and visit the islands(Orcas, SJ, Lopez) before heading down into Seattle.

 

[bimrunner]

I live in Reno and in my biased opinion, you should come up 395 through the Eastern Sierras. There's gorgeous scenery the whole way and lots to do on the way up. Then you can take 395 all the way up to Oregon and either head to the coast or up I-5. If you've never been to Lake Tahoe (or even if you have) it's beautiful and there's so much to do whether it's wheeling, going to the beach, getting a good beer, etc.

I agree. From Tahoe, take 80 west and go up 37 out to point Reyes and hwy 1 up to Oregon if you want the beauty of CA north coast. Central isn't all that great in comparison unless you are wanting Big Sur up through SF area (but then you miss the best part of the Eastern Sierras and the opportunity to slip into Kings Canyon and Yosemite). If you slide down 80 to 37 you can hit Lagunitas and Russian River Breweries for some great tours, brews and food...

 

[ColoradoToyota]

I am sure the 395 is great but don't let people discourage you - highway 1 is incredible. Sure it'll be busy but the scenery is truly amazing. Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Big Sur, Monterrey (with the best aquarium in the country IMO), santa cruz, to the bay area. Cross the GG and take route 1 up through west marin (you can hit the marin headlands, muir woods which is amazing but I've heard has gotten incredibly crowded, mt tamalpais which has a ton of great hiking and scenery - check out stinson and bolinas, pt reyes station, inverness, tomales - some amazing oyster spots along the way, I particularly enjoy Hog Island Oyster Company, you can roll up with food and shuck fresh oysters and grill them right over the bay) - from there gualala and mendocino are cool. In Oregon, Coos Bay, Lincoln City are interesting spots, take the tour in Tillamook if you like cheese, Cannon Beach and Seaside are rad as well. Haven't been to Astoria but it seems like a pretty cool spot. The NW is just incredibly beautiful. The ferry from Seattle or Bellingham to Victoria is very cool as well, plus Victoria is very interesting.

Source: went to high school in Marin and my family is still out there. Went to school at Oregon in Eugene, lived in Portland for years after school. Drove the 1 from SF down to Paso Robles this time last year, watch for grey whales, they'll be all over the place on the coastline this time of year, you'll see their spouts.. The California and Oregon Coast is epic. Obviously, SF, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver could all have their own long lists of to-dos. You could swing through Napa/Sonoma if you're into wine. If you cut over to Portland, Mt Hood has a myriad of awesome things to see. You're gonna have a good trip!

 

[ColoradoToyota]

I agree. From Tahoe, take 80 west and go up 37 out to point Reyes and hwy 1 up to Oregon if you want the beauty of CA north coast. Central isn't all that great in comparison unless you are wanting Big Sur up through SF area (but then you miss the best part of the Eastern Sierras and the opportunity to slip into Kings Canyon and Yosemite). If you slide down 80 to 37 you can hit Lagunitas and Russian River Breweries for some great tours, brews and food...

This is also sound advice, depending on how badly you want to see the central coast.

 

[ahbot]

Big Sur/Monterey up the HWY 1 from San Luis Obispo is a wonderful drive. You can stop at Hearst Castle or camp out on the beach a couple of nights. I just did the drive over the Xmas break. It was perfect.


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[OatBunch]

It would be an inland detour for both, but as others have recommended, Crater Lake is amazing and the Ape Caves on Mt St Helens are a blast. If you do the Ape Caves bring a jacket and some good head lamps and do the upper cave. A little more difficult, but much less used and way more interesting.

 

[flyrv9]

Yes, I second the route 1 idea as previously mentioned. We drove it North to South but either way would be cool. It takes extra time, but worth it. Monterrey Bay Aquarium, Muir Woods, San Francisco in general etc. In Seattle visit Pikes fish market - it's a hoot! The only problem with route 1 is at times the driver is pretty busy with traffic and turns; so at times they don't see as much.

 

[bane]

Here's what I would do:
San Diego - hit up the beach, Balboa Park, and The Wild Animal Park (skip Sea World), eat tacos and or carne asada fries every day.
Orange County/Los Angeles - way too much to do, you could spend the whole trip here. I would stay in a nice hotel in Newport Beach, hike at Crystal Cove, watch the waves at The Wedge and get a burger at Ruby's on the pier.
Santa Barbara - stop for lunch if you need a break, but I wouldn't spend too much time there.
Pismo Beach - if you want to drive on sand dunes you can do it here
San Luis Obispo/Morro Bay - either of these is a good lunch stop. SLO has great food (college town), Morro Bay has beautiful views. Take your pick.
Cambria - I love Cambria and there's a great state park to camp at. I would visit the elephant seals if the time is right and definitely hit up Hearst Castle at San Simeon if you haven't been before.
Big Sur - the next bit on Hwy 1 is all about the scenery. Big Sur is beautiful, but it is pretty sparsely populated. Take a picture at the Bixby Bridge.
Monterey - touristy, but a really nice stop. Good food in a pretty town. The aquarium is great.
Bay Area - similar to Orange County/LA, you could spend two weeks just in this area. I would get dim sum in San Francisco, walk around Golden Gate Park, and drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to get oysters in Marin. I would also try and get in a sunset hike in the Marin headlands. Beautiful views.
Sonoma County - this is the only big detour so far, if you're a wine drinker (or beer drinker) I would take Hwy 116 into Sonoma County to tour wineries and breweries. It's very pretty country, good food, good drink.

North of Sonoma County my knowledge mostly runs out. Fort Bragg is supposed to be nice and in the Eureka area I highly recommend camping at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and hiking into Fern Canyon.

 

[mgnum21]

If you are heading up to Canada on I-5 make sure you take the Chuckanut Drive scenic route in Washington State. It hugs the base of Chuckanut Mtns as it weaves its way along the evergreen forests above the cliffs of Chuckanut Bay, highly recommend.

Take Exit #231 off of I-5 near the town of Burlington Wa. While on the route make sure to stop by Larabee State Park. Camping is available at the park as well or it is a great spot to just explore the beach and tide pools. As you continue on the drive north after Larabee you will come to Fairhaven District of Bellinham, Wa. Lots of good eats and drink many places to stop along Bellingham Bay to check out as well. Further up north as you get closer to Canada, Birch Bay is always a nice place to visit as well. Here are some links to the places mentioned.

http://chuckanutdrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Chuckanut-Merchants-brochure-2011-6-1-11-
21.pdf

Larrabee State Park | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

https://www.fairhaven.com


Astoria, Or, is one of my favorite places- Ft. George Brewery is always a good stop while there.

Long Beach, Wa - There is a stretch of drivable beach 28 miles in length, 13.5 miles open year round. This is a peninsula so to get back to I-5 heading north to Canada you will have to backtrack a bit but if you are up the Oregon coast it might be worth it, 30min from Astoria, Or. If you like fresh world class oysters make sure to visit historic Oysterville on the Long Beach peninsula where they harvest them daily from Willapa Bay.

https://funbeach.com/beach-driving/

Sounds like a great trip, enjoy!

 

[FlightMedic303]

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I'm beginning to feel like this will need to be broken up into a couple different trips! So much to do and see, so little time, one life to live...

 

[Bilbo]

I’m sure you have enough suggestions for a 2 month trip. But if you want more, don’t forget you could do the west and north sides of the Olympic Peninsula:

Beaches, the Hoh rain forest, Cape Flattery, Hurricane Ridge, and plenty more. With enough advanced planning and reservations, you could catch the Black Ball ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, Vancouver Island, spend some time with the English, and then take the BC Ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen. And on to Vancouver.

see http://www.olympicpeninsula.org/sites/default/files/2016nop-travelplanner-web_0.pdf

Happy Trails!

 

[CWO4CNO]

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I'm beginning to feel like this will need to be broken up into a couple different trips! So much to do and see, so little time, one life to live...

I travel both the Oregon and Washington coasts multiple times a year and in fact is the reason I purchased my SR5 4Runner. The recommendations mentioned address great ones and I'd like to add 2 extra stops..... Hurricane Ridge and Crescent Lake if you travel 101 around the Olympic Peninsula. I visit here this week and will be back over the wet week of June before heading East to the Paloose address in Eastern Washington.

 

[bane]

The Olympic Peninsula in WA is amazing. I did a backpacking trip along the coast and in the rain forest when I was in high school. It is still one of my all time favorite trips.

 

[p_j_o]

I think you nailed it on the head - too much to see in one trip, especially once you travel into Washington and if you want to travel passed the boarder into Vancouver (the Canada one, eh).

Skip the I5 (unless you need to) and take the 101. Sea Lion caves, Cheese factory, Sand Dunes, Wolf sanctuary, Newport, Florence, Canon Beach, etc...